After a first leg in the Moravian capital Brno, the Mezipatra Queer Film
Festival opens in Prague on Thursday with a programme that combines movies
exploring gender and sexual identity with a series of other cultural and
social events. Mezipatra, the biggest event of its kind in the Czech
Republic, has been going since the year 2000; on the eve of the Prague
opening, I asked director Aleš Rumpel how the festival had changed over
the years.

“A lot. The first edition in 2000 was a small event in Brno. We had a few
films, and about 700 people showed up. Over time we’ve had audiences of
75,000, and the festival moved from Brno, so it doesn’t only take place
in Brno but in the two cities, Brno and Prague.

“We’re showing 72 films this year, and we have interesting
international guests attending the event. So it’s grown enormously.”

Who are your interesting guests this year?

“It’s difficult to pick only a few, but for instance Jake Yuzna.
He’s an independent American filmmaker. He made an incredible film, Open,
which is in our main competition. It’s a very original queer film about
people who change their bodies to become art objects. It has very
interesting narratives, such as the main couple find out they’re
pregnant, although they’re two guys – one of them is undergoing a sex
change. So it’s really original, and I’m looking forward to the Q &
A with Jake.

'Open'
“I’m particularly excited that we have Harry Benshoff, who’s coming
from Texas to give a talk about queer horrors, or queers in horror, or
queer narratives in classic B movies of American cinema. Harry will also be
on the main jury.”

Is there any particular theme to this year’s Mezipatra?

“There is always one, and this year is ‘high art’. We’re slightly
ironic about it. We’re showing films about artists, about creativity, and
what it means to have responsibility for your audience, or your actors or
medium.

“We’re also showing low art, such as vulgar comedies, or a film about
the body and sex performance, and things like that that are not normally
thought of as art.”

Has your festival managed to build up an international profile over the
last decade?

Aleš Rumpel, photo: www.mezipatra.cz
“I think so. Our programmers were invited to serve on the Berlinale
Teddy Jury, which selects the best queer film at the international film
festival in Berlin. We always have a good exchange with other queer
festivals or festivals that have a queer focus. So I’d say that we’re
probably one of the ten biggest European queer film festivals.”

You’ve been in Brno, now you’re in Prague. I know there is also a mini
version of the festival that is going to cities like Ostrava and Plzeň. Is
there any way in which Mezipatra has a different significance in smaller
cities, where perhaps minority sexual orientations wouldn’t be as
visible?

“Absolutely, I think the answer is embedded in the question. I must say
the individual mini festivals differ by the city and by the organisers. So
the festival in Olomouc is very much student based. The festival in Ostrava
is quite a big event – or was last year when it was held for the first
time – in the city, because it doesn’t have too many film festivals,
and it certainly isn’t used to having queer events.

“I’m really curious about Plzeň this year, because this is the first
time that we are showing quite a substantial part of the programme in
Plzeň. Then in České Budějovice the event is sort of a gay lifestyle
event. So it changes really in each town.”